Linden, Guyana

Linden
Linden Location in Guyana
Coordinates: 6°0′0″N 58°18′0″W
Country	Guyana
Admin. division	Upper Demerara-Berbice
Elevation	157 ft (48 m)
Population
• Total	60,000

Linden is the second largest town in Guyana after Georgetown, and capital of the Upper Demerara-Berbice region, located at 6°0′0″N 58°18′0″W, altitude 48 metres (160 feet). It was declared a town in 1970, and includes the communities of MacKenzie and Wismar. It lies on the Demerara River and has a population of roughly 60,000. It is primarily a bauxite mining town, containing many mines 60–90 metres deep, with many other pits now in disuse.

Points of interest

Linden is the largest urban centre in Guyana that does not have a university, since the University of Guyana is located in Turkeyen, which is part of Greater Georgetown.

The mining company runs a colonial-era guest house, with other hotels including the Summit Hotel and Starbonnet Bonnet Hotet.

Schools in Linden include Mackenzie High School, established in 1946.

History

The three villages that made up Linden were previously known as Wismar-MacKenzie-Christianburg, but was renamed/unified in 1970 as a township under the name Linden by then President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, also known as Forbes Burnham, after himself.

In 1964, Wismar was the site of the Wismar Massacre, where rioting targeted at the Indian minority also led to the widespread destruction of property. The disturbances started on Wednesday, May 20, escalating to murder on May 25th before the arrival of British troops on Tuesday, May 26. During this period more than two hundred properties were destroyed by fire and more than fifty people reported physical assaults, including at least seven rapes. The riots also claimed five lives, R. Khan and P. Mirgin, Indian residents of Wismar were killed on May 25th, along with G. English, an alleged looter. B. Wharton died in a fire on May 27th, while I. Bridgewater was killed on the 28th. The Wismar Massacre decreased the Indian population in Wismar, before the riots it was estimated at 3000. This fell to about 300 by the following July, as more than 3000 Indians were evacuated after the riots. The Wismar Massacre was triggered by the general climate of political and ethnic strife within Guyana in 1964. The murder of an African couple in Buxton on May 21st was the most recent violent event, in a extended period of unrest and is considered the trigger for the Wismar Massacre.

On Monday, July 6th, 1964 an explosion blew apart the Sun Chapman launch as it sailed up the Demerara river from Georgetown to Mackenzie. Forty-three people died either due the explosion or drowned when the launch sank . Most of the thirty-three survivors, including the entire crew, were those fortunate to be on the deck or bow when the boat exploded. The Sun Chapman exploded shortly after leaving Horadia about sixteen miles from Mackenzie. By July 8th, thirty-two bodies were recovered from the river and taken to the Mackenzie Hospital morgue to be buried . Some badly decomposed bodies were also buried at Horadia .

With forty-three fatalities, the sinking of the Sun Chapman is the single largest loss of Guyanese life. Most victims were Lindeners traveling home from Georgetown along the Demerara river. The river was commonly used for this journey before the Linden-Soesdyke highway was constructed in 1966. The explosion was caused by a bomb, but the persons responsible and the type of explosives used remains unknown, this has led to numerous theories about the bombing.

References

Linden websites

• Guymine.com - Guymine.com is Linden's premier website
• Linden Fund - Charitable fund focusing on Linden
• Real Guyana - Only Guyanese Language website (non-English)
• http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/americas/guyana_rel_1991.pdf